The current releases from Sandhill Wines
illustrates how much the growing conditions can vary from vintage to vintage in
the Okanagan.
They also illustrate how skilfully
winemaker Howard Soon and his
vineyard team rise to whatever challenge or opportunity nature throws their
way.
The 2009 harvest was early, capping a hot
year, and has yielded powerful reds. The 2010 and 2011 seasons both were late,
producing lighter reds with more elegance than power.
Here are Sandhill’s notes on those three
vintages.
2009 – “The 2009 growing season arrived late as the cold temperatures of
a long winter seemed to drag on [and] resulted in some reduced crops.…The vines
did catch up so that by early summer, vine development was at its normal
stages. Summer was extremely hot and dry, which quickly advanced the ripeness
of the slightly smaller than usual crop load, foretelling an early quick crush.
On Thanksgiving weekend, temperatures dropped to about -9°C
in the South Okanagan , halting any further
ripening of the grapes. However, at this point all our grapes were essentially
ripened and ready to pick. We have some great white
wines and the reds are excellent, especially with the reduced crop; wines are
rich and intense, yet smooth.”
2010 – “A later than usual bud break and slightly cooler temperatures
greeted the 2010 growing season. Once summer finally arrived in mid-July, four
weeks of fabulous heat and sunshine filled the valley. The wonderful weather
lasted until mid-August and through the important beginning stage of ripening
called ‘véraison’. A gift … came in late September with a spell of great
weather, and October was drier than usual…. The grapes were left hanging about
two weeks longer than usual to allow for complete ripeness. Although grape tonnage
was down, this enhanced the concentration of flavours. The last day of harvest,
November 8, arrived with great promise for fresh and vibrant whites, and
fruit-forward reds.”
2011
– “The growing season began slowly and remained
unseasonably cool right through July.
Reducing crop load in the vineyards was essential in producing a healthy
harvest as higher crop yields would not ripen sufficiently in cooler
temperatures. Normal summer temperatures arrived in August and carried through
to late October. Overall tonnage was down for 2011. The whites are very
vibrant. The reds are also good, with softer fruit intensity and balanced
tannin structure.”
By being able to hang the grapes late into
October, Sandhill achieved good ripeness. Every wine has an alcohol of 13.5% or
better except for the rosé and the Viognier, which are 12.5% and 12%
respectively. Those are adequate numbers for the style of those wines.
The disadvantage, perhaps, is that Howard
does not have the option of region-wide blending. In an area like the Okanagan,
some winemakers blend to strengthen wines when a certain region comes up a
little short, as may happen from year to year. Howard and his team need to get
it right in the first place. But also note how effectively he blends small
percentages of other varieties, all from the same vineyard, into most of his
wines. He is taking advantage of flavour and maturity differences that occur
even among blocks in the same vineyard.
Here are my notes. Some of the volumes are
given in barrels. As a rule of thumb, there are 25 cases of wine in a barrel.
Sandhill
Rosé 2011 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($17.99 for 396
cases). There are four varietals in this:
Gamay Noir (41%), Cabernet Franc (31%), Sangiovese (21%) and Barbera (7%). The
grapes were cold-soaked about four days and then 10% of the juice was drained
off (the French call this saignée).
There are two advantages to this method of making rosé. It produces a
beautifully coloured rosé brimming with flavour and complexity; and it improves
the concentration of red wines that were made from those four varietals as
well. It was a clever way of getting the best from the red grapes in the 2011
vintage.
The rosé, fermented cool in stainless steel
like a white wine, has a dramatic cranberry hue, with flavours of raspberry and
cherry and even red liquorice. The wine is crisp and dry, with the weight of an
all-season wine. Try it with turkey this Christmas. 90.
Sandhill
Viognier 2011 Osprey Ridge Vineyard ($28 for 1,102
cases). This wine begins with appealing aromatics – apricot, peach, pineapple
and citrus fruits. That fruit basket carries through to the palate, along with
apple favours and a tangy hint of lime on the refreshing finish. 90.
Sandhill
Single Block Chardonnay 2010 ($30 for eight
barrels). The block referred to here is B11 on the Sandhill Estate Vineyard
map. The vines were planted in 1997 in a hot spot below a 400-foot granite
cliff. It sounds as if the block could produce a fat Chardonnay; but in a year
like 2010, the result was a fresh and elegant Chardonnay. It begins with aromas
of tangerine, butter, pineapple and what the winery’s notes call biscuit but I
call bacon fat. It comes from the oak due to fermenting 60% of the juice in
barrels. On the palate, there are flavours of citrus, apples and spicy but
subtle oak. The finish is fresh, with lingering fruit. 91.
Sandhill
Sangiovese 2010 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($30 for
21 barrels). There is 10% Barbera blended into this wine, presumably to give a
little more flesh to the wine in a lean year. This is a medium-bodied red with
cherry aromas and with spicy cherry flavours and a dry, almost dusty, finish.
89.
Sandhill
Barbera 2010 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($30 for 17
barrels). There is 12% Merlot in this blend. The wine has a generous texture,
with aromas of cherries and lingonberries. On the palate, there are juicy
flavours of cherry and plum. 90.
Both the Barbera and the Sangiovese were
picked October 26 and 27, showing how late the 2010 vintage was.
Sandhill
Malbec 2010 Phantom Creek Vineyard ($35 for five
barrels). There is 15% Cabernet
Sauvignon in this blend. (The grapes were picked on October 22.) The wine
begins with a dramatic bouquet of cherry, mulberry and blackberry, going on to
flavours of plum and cherry and lingonberry, with a spicy finish. 90.
Sandhill
Petit Verdot 2010 Phantom Creek Vineyard ($30 for
four barrels). There is 15% Cabernet Sauvignon in this blend. The wine is
almost inky in colour, typical of Petit Verdot. It begins with intriguing
aromas of plum, spice, black currant and chocolate. The wine is generous on the
palate with delicious flavours of plum, blueberry, black cherry, chocolate and
spice. 91.
Sandhill
One 2010 Phantom Creek Vineyard ($35 for 21
barrels). This is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Malbec, 19% Petit
Verdot and 3% Syrah. It begins with aromas of black currants and vanilla. On
the palate, there is a medley of berry flavours along with vanilla and cedar.
The finish is long, with berry flavours mingled with coffee and spice. 92.
Sandhill
Two 2010 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($35 for 11
barrels). This is 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot and 27% Cabernet Franc.
There are aromas of black currants, tobacco and oak (the wine after all spent
20 months in barrel), leading to flavours of black cherries, prunes and vanilla,
with ripe, earthy tannins. 90.
Sandhill
Three 2010 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($35 for 11
barrels). The blend is 64% Sangiovese, 18% Barbera, 9% Merlot and 9% Cabernet
Sauvignon. Think of this as Sandhill’s Tuscan blend. The wine begins with
aromas of cherry, plum and spice. On the palate, the tannins add a dusty note
to the light cherry flavours. The finish is spicy. 89.
Sandhill
Single Block Merlot 2009 Sandhill Estate Vineyard ($40
for five barrels). These grapes were harvested on September 28, so ripe that
the wine has 15.5% alcohol. However, the flavours and textures are so rich that
the alcohol is not obvious. The aromas are absolutely spectacular – plum, black
cherry and vanilla. The palate is full and generous, with flavours of black
cherry, chocolate and vanilla. The finish is long and satisfying. 92.
While it is early yet to discuss the 2012
vintage, all the reports indicate that it turned out to be an excellent
vintage, with no extremes of weather and with substan tial
crops of good fruit. There will be plenty of wine from the 2012 vintage and the
quality should rival 2009.
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